Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aquaponic systems and more particularly to a system and method of aquaponics using alternative aquaculture feed, fingerling production and green energy sources to yield organic produce as well as edible fish.
Description of the Prior Art
Worldwide fish stocks are dwindling. Slightly more than half the worlds fisheries are known to be fully exploited meaning that their current catch is at or near the maximum sustainable production. Nevertheless, fish consumption has increased to 17.1 kg per person (reported in 2008). Fish are being farmed with some success and a lot of failure. A better technique than straight fish farming is known as aquaponics.
Aquaponics is a farming practice that integrates aquaculture with plant production. The fish in the system produce waste which provides the necessary nutrients for plant production, while, at the same time, the plants help rid the water of fish waste, specifically ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and carbon dioxide while adding back oxygen.
Prior art aquaponics systems as well as straight fish farms have many times been failures since they are typically under pressure to produce as many saleable fish as possible in the shortest possible time. In many cases, ponds are too small for the number of fish; fish are force-fed or fed artificial food to speed up growth that causes disease and death; seasonal changes in water temperature stress or kill fish; fish waste accumulates and is not properly removed; bacteria enter the water that are foreign to the fish population killing fish; or the owner runs out of money before the fish are ready to harvest. Also, many prior art systems are not sustainable in that they cannot continuously operate (some fish farms seed fingerlings, force feed them, and try to harvest as soon as possible). It would be extremely advantageous to have a system and method of sustainable aquaponics that could continuously operate year round (with various factors adjusted during the year based on climate and weather).
Most fish farms or aquaponic systems need pumps and other energy-consuming devices. The energy costs for these devices can be significant. It would be advantageous to have an aquaponic system that derived or recovered a large part of its energy demands from natural sources such as moving water, wind energy, methane digestion, wind, solar, burning wood waste and compost.
One of the most important factors in an aquaponic system is oxygen content in the water (as well as removing carbon dioxide). This is typically accomplished by aeration of the water. In prior art systems, many times aeration is accomplished only by pumping water to a higher elevation and then letting it tumble over rocks or gravel. This is a good method, and If enough water is aerated in this manner, results can be satisfactory; however, there is a large electrical cost for the pumping process. It would very advantageous to have an aquaponic system that used additional alternative aeration methods such as the use of various plants in and near the water like algae and domestic plants such as tomato, basil, lettuce, eggplant, watercress and others, U-tubes and regenerative blowers.
Many prior art systems artificially clean their water. It would be advantageous to have an aquaponic system that uses water from a natural source such as a pond or lake so that fish become inoculated to all the naturally occurring bacteria, parasites and algae found in the natural system.
Prior art aquaponics systems typically use fish waste to provide nutrients for plants. However, the plants were usually limited to those plants that can only live in the water. It would advantageous to have an aquaponic system that could also produce other plants that do not normally live in water, especially edible plants and plants that produce edible fruits and vegetables.
It is now legal in the United States, under a proper license, to grow the plant known as cannabis. While illegal for many years, the states have realized and approved the use of leaves from this plant as a prescription drug for certain patients. Licensees need a way of growing medical cannabis efficiently and in large quantities. An aquaponics farm is an ideal local to grow cannabis and other drug plants. Hemp is a related plant with industrial uses that can also be grown using aquaponics.